Roberta L. Jamieson, C.M. is a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 lawyer and First Nations

First Nations

First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...

 activist. She was the first Aboriginal woman ever to earn a law degree in Canada, the first non-Parliamentarian to be appointed an ex officio member of a House of Commons committee

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

, and the first woman appointed as Ontario Ombudsman

Ontario Ombudsman

The Ontario Ombudsman is an independent officer of the provincial legislature in Ontario, Canada. In the tradition of the classical parliamentary Ombudsman first established in Sweden in 1809, Ontario's Ombudsman oversees and investigates public complaints about the government of Ontario, including...

.

History

Jamieson is a member of the Six Nations of the Grand River. She was educated at McGill University

McGill University

Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...

 and the University of Western Ontario

University of Western Ontario

The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...

, graduating with a law degree in 1976. She worked primarily as a policy advisor in government bodies, including as a commissioner on the Indian Commission of Ontario from 1985 to 1989 and as Ontario's provincial ombudsman from 1989 to 1999.

Jamieson was the first non-Parliamentarian to be appointed an ex officio member of a special House of Commons committee on Indian self-government.

Jamieson has also been recognized for her work in developing and promoting alternative dispute resolution

Alternative dispute resolution

Alternative Dispute Resolution includes dispute resolution processes and techniques that act as a means for disagreeing parties to come to an agreement short of litigation. ADR basically is an alternative to a formal court hearing or litigation...

 methods. She received the Goodman Fellowship from the University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

 in 1991, and the international Association for Conflict Resolution's Mary Parker Follet Award in 1992. She was awarded 13 April 1994 the Order of Canada

Order of Canada

The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...

 and invested on 1 March 1995 as a Member of the Order of Canada.

She was a candidate for the leadership of the Assembly of First Nations

Assembly of First Nations

The Assembly of First Nations , formerly known as the National Indian Brotherhood, is a body of First Nations leaders in Canada...

 at their 2003 leadership convention

Assembly of First Nations leadership conventions

Assembly of First Nations leadership elections are held every three years to elect the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Each chief of a First Nation in Canada is eligible to cast a vote. Currently there are 633 eligible voters.AFN rules state that a candidate needs 60% of the...

, losing to Phil Fontaine

Phil Fontaine

Larry Phillip Fontaine, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian leader. He completed his third and final term as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2009....

 but finishing ahead of incumbent chief Matthew Coon Come

Matthew Coon Come

Matthew Coon Come is a Canadian politician and activist of Cree descent. He was National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations from 2000 to 2003.Born near Mistissini, Quebec, Coon Come was first educated in a residential school...

.

Jamieson was awarded a National Aboriginal Achievement Award in 1998 for her achievement in law and justice. She was subsequently named president and chief executive officer of the award's parent organization, the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation

National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation

The National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation is a nationally registered non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds to deliver programs that provide the tools necessary for Aboriginal peoples in Canada, especially youth to achieve their potential.-About:To date the Foundation through its...

, in 2004.